There Must Be a Reason You’re Doing This

Noah hurried her steps.

She had been having a bad feeling for a while now.

“Noah, let’s go a bit slower…!”

Stella, exhausted, said from behind, but Noah could barely hear her. An unpleasant sensation had been running through her body for some time.

‘…Ahjussi, I hope you’re okay…’

She was worried about him.

It wasn’t like they were connected by some thread of fate. But whenever something happened to him, she always felt this kind of discomfort.

If, indeed, this strange sensation was real. If this feeling that made her heart race and cold sweat flow was real.

‘What on earth could be happening to ahjussi…’

Hoping this sensation was wrong, Noah walked quickly.

Though she was tired from facing the monster, that wasn’t what mattered now.

“You twisted your ankle too.”

“It’s minor. Just this much.”

“Don’t push yourself too hard. I’ll fly ahead quickly and check.”

“No, I want to see with my own eyes.”

“Such stubbornness…”

Despite Stella’s attempts to dissuade her, she wouldn’t budge. It was true she was tired from fighting the monster, but her fear was greater.

After walking for quite some time.

At the end of the long corridor was a large plaza.

“Ahjussi…?”

It was a scene one might see upon entering a cave.

It seemed they were the first to arrive, as there was no one there.

After looking around for a while.

“Noah, over there!”

“…!”

“…Ah, you guys came?”

They saw him covered in blood and wounds.

+++++

The sound of footsteps could be heard.

Turning my head toward the sound, I saw two magical girls. Pink hair and blue hair.

Those girls were, of course, Iris and Stella.

I smiled at the two girls.

“You came.”

I thought it was a natural, reassuring smile.

“Ahjussi!”

Apparently not.

Seeing Noah’s tearful expression as she ran toward me.

“Are you okay? Are you hurt!?”

“Yeah, I’m fine-“

“Don’t lie! It shows all over your face!”

“No, really, I’m fine-“

“Again pretending to be okay! You told me not to pretend to be fine in front of you, so why are you doing it?”

“No, that’s-“

Just as I was about to make an excuse.

Something welled up inside with a surge. It was strange. I had certainly done all the basic first aid already.

It seems the impact was greater than expected.

“I, I’m really fine-“

Even I thought this lie wasn’t convincing.

“Uweeeeeehhh…!!!”

And it was proven to be a blatant lie.

“Kuhuh… huhuk… ha…”

Noah turned serious at the blood spilling onto the floor. Blood so red it was startling.

The Demon King had desperately punched me in the abdomen, and it seemed my insides were quite damaged.

I didn’t want to show this side of me.

When I raised my head, I saw Noah’s face.

Beyond tearful, now completely ashen.

“A-Ahjussi…”

Noah’s lips trembled.

Her gaze wandered. Her pupils were dilated.

She was scared.

‘I need to calm her down.’

The child is whimpering because of me.

I need to comfort her quickly…

“…Ugh…!”

Pain like my intestines were being kneaded.

My face contorted sharply.

This shouldn’t be happening.

A young child trembling because of me.

“The Demon King is safe.”

“…”

“…I gave her the medicine. From now on, it depends on the Demon King’s will.”

Whether the essence is purified or not would depend on the Demon King’s will.

From now on, we can only hope.

Hope that the Demon King will overcome this well.

But Noah shook her head as if that wasn’t what she was curious about now. Soon, her gaze turned to me.

“That’s not what’s important right now! Why are you doing this, ahjussi!”

“…I got hit a bit. The Demon King struggled quite a lot.”

“Uh… uhh…”

“I prepared it in strawberry flavor, her favorite… but she didn’t want to take the medicine. Haha.”

Cough!

I coughed again with blood.

As blood sprayed like from a mister, Noah was horrified.

“Q-Quickly to the hospital! Let’s go to the hospital! Okay!?”

“No. We need to keep moving forward.”

“Give me the key. I’ll handle it somehow!”

“…I should help with what I can too.”

“How can you help with that body!”

“Fighting.”

Noah gritted her teeth.

“Forget it! Just hurry and get treatment!”

“…Noah…”

“What? Hurry!”

I stared at Noah’s face for a while and then shook my head. I couldn’t do that. Throw everything away and run, sacrificing that child?

“No, I’ll fight until the end. Even if I collapse, it doesn’t matter.”

“Why on earth.”

“…Huh?”

“Why on earth are you doing this? Run away, and if it hurts, say it hurts!”

Noah took a deep breath.

Tears were starting to flow.

“…Tell me, why on earth are you doing this?”

“…”

+++++

It was about a pure question I had during my life in this world.

Come to think of it, it was.

‘Why was I so attached to that game in the first place?’

I wasn’t particularly fond of games.

Not the type to spend hours or days focused on a single game.

Rather, I was closer to the opposite.

The type of person who would work more instead of playing games.

For someone like me to focus on an adult game, not even a regular game?

Even thinking about it again, it was hard to understand.

But the question was resolved after meeting Noah.

The reason I played that game so much.

The reason I was so attached to “Na Noah,” who was at best just a game character.

‘What, is there something on my face?’

She resembled me.

More precisely, she resembled what I was like before my personality became gentle.

When I was young.

“…When I was young, I was like you.”

“Me…?”

I nodded.

When I was a child, my parents told me.

They said they would come back for me after I stayed there for a few nights.

Well, of course, that place was an orphanage, and the parents who said they would come for me never did for the rest of my life.

Back then, not knowing that, I stupidly said things like “They’ll come back someday!”

‘Looking back…’

It seems Noah’s lonely appearance and her struggles without parents overlapped with mine.

Having immersed myself so much, I was distressed whenever Noah in the game got hurt, and I wished for her happiness.

She is me.

I wished for happiness, even if just in the game.

Both for me and for her.

Really, what foolish thoughts.

“…What was ahjussi like when you were young?”

“Me when I was young?”

After thinking for a moment, I answered.

“Hmm… the reason I’m good at being a villain?”

“…”

“That’s it. I did a lot of bad things, and I did everything I was told to do just to receive even a little bit of love. I was a fool, stupid and pitiful.”

“…”

“So, I. I hope you, Noah, don’t become like me and become happy.”

It’s not something that a person who’s already rotten to the core should say.

It’s not something I’m saying just to look cool.

“You understand? I’ll make it happen.”

Noah lowered her head deeply.

She must have understood. Noah is a smart and kind child.

And there’s no worry of her becoming like me.

Noah’s face frowned.

For a moment, I even heard the sound of teeth grinding.

Only then could I see Noah’s face.

She was filled with anger.

“Then what about you?”

“Me?”

“Who makes you happy? How are you supposed to be happy?”

“My happiness… rather than someone like me, you Noah-“

“It’s not ‘someone like me’!”

“…”

“I want you to be happy too! Self-sacrifice? Someone like me? Stop saying such foolish things! That’s not cool at all!”

“…”

“Just be honest and say if it hurts, it hurts! If it’s hard, say it’s hard!! How long are you going to see me as just a child!? Huh? I’m not a child! I can take care of myself!”

“No, you’re a high school student and definitely a child-“

“Answer!”

“…It, it hurts…”

Noah glared at me with blazing eyes.

Then she quickly stripped off my upper clothes.

“Look how blue it is…”

“I already did some first aid though.”

Noah called Stella, and Kyukyu who had been hiding. They closed their eyes slightly, chanted with starlight, and placed it on my stomach.

A mysterious sensation. What should I call this?

Ah, like putting on a medicated patch? Exactly that feeling.

“It won’t be as good as Jin-ah unnie, but be satisfied with this much.”

“Hmm, thanks. Now I can fight more.”

Noah made an incredulous expression.

“I said leave!”

“…Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t.”

“Why?”

“You were really in a hurry. The entrance to the room disappeared right after we came out.”

“That damned rabbit…!”

“Well, it seems the other side is also ready to make a final decision.”

Now that I’ve calmed down, I have the leisure to look around.

Iris and Stella.

They looked quite disheveled, but there didn’t seem to be any major injuries.

It felt like they were fully prepared for the final battle with the rabbit.

‘As for me…’

Though I was injured quite badly, I could barely continue.

The problem was.

‘I hope Yul is okay…’

Black Heart, who went alone to face the Sword Saint.

The Sword Saint was so strong, and with the memory of a recent defeat, I was worried.

“…Come to think of it, ahjussi, what about Yul?”

“I don’t know either. When will she come…”

Thud, thud.

“…Speak of the devil.”

The sound of footsteps was heard from Black Heart’s corridor.

However, the problem was.

“Whew…”

“…Yul?”

“The sensitivity of this body is quite good. I like it.”

She started saying things that were hard to understand. Somehow giving off an atmosphere that seemed several times fiercer and more dangerous than usual.

And.

“Ahjussi, unnies.”

“…Yul!?”

“Hehe… this is what happened…”

A small spirit in the form of a girl was sitting on Black Heart’s shoulder, scratching the back of her head.

What on earth is going on here?